A Time For Stepping Up
by YuriChan220
Summary: Lei Fang has feelings for Hitomi, however, the German is in love with Hayate. Lei Fang tells her true feelings to Hitomi later on, but how will Hitomi react?
1. Confession

**A Time for Stepping Up**

 **Pairing: Hitomi x Lei Fang**

 **Genre: Romance/Drama**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Dead or Alive or any of its characters.**

 **Author's Note: Yes. There WILL be yuri in it! It's going to be a little difficult, but I'll manage. So…here goes nothing…**

 **Enjoy~!**

"My fists are on fire!" Hitomi shouts triumphantly as she raises a fist in the air after defeating another one of her opponents.

Lei Fang looks at the screen with a blush on her face. _Hitomi's so strong…_ she thinks. _In fact…she's stronger than I can remember. We trained together one time and I was defeated. She truly is a Master Martial Artist._ She can also feel her heart beating rapidly when she forms a fist on her chest. _Hitomi…you're so strong…so cheerful, yet so serious._ She continues to watch the tournament as Hitomi faces another opponent.

"I'm ready!" Hitomi says as she gets to her battle position.

"Okay! Ready anytime!" Mila says.

 _Come on, Hitomi!_ Lei Fang thinks.

The two charge at each other and dodges Mila's punch and kick. She uppercuts Mila, sending her flying about 5 feet in the air and lands on her back. The red-head back rolls to her feet and attempts to punch the brunette again. The German ducks and uppercuts her, followed by a kick to the stomach, sending her flying towards the ropes. Mila jumps to her feet and punches Hitomi in the face, but gets blocked from the second punch. The German then double punches the red-head, spin kicks her and then uppercuts her again. Mila doesn't get a chance to stand back up when Hitomi hits her with a flying kick. The two girls then do full on punches and kicks, dodging and blocking up, down, left and right for about a minute until Mila hits Hitomi on the side from a kick and then punched in the chest. The brunette staggers back for a bit, but shakes off the pain and dodges Mila's punch. She grabs her arm, flips her over and punches her in the chest as a follow up.

The red-head struggles to her feet, but Hitomi is too fast for her. The German keeps on throwing in punches and kicks in all directions. The brunette throws in the final two punches to the chest, knocking Mila out.

"WINNER!" the announcer shouts.

"Yes!" Lei Fang cheers with a fist pumped. "Way to go!"

Hitomi raises her fist triumphantly at her victory.

 ****20 Minutes Later****

Hitomi gets changed out of her karate uniform and is now wearing a short yellow T-shirt with a blue jacket over it and matching jeans. Mila walks toward the German with a smile.

"You were great out there," she says. "Congratulations."

"Thank you!" Hitomi replies. "You were great, too!"

The two girls shake hands and go their separate ways. Hitomi remembers that she's going to meet her best friend, Lei Fang, outside, so she hurries down the hall when someone catches her eye. Someone very familiar.

"Ein-I mean, Hayate!" she says.

"Hitomi," the ninja turns toward the German and smiles. "Congrats on winning."

"Thank you," she says, blushing. She can't help but stare into his eyes, making her heart beat rapidly.

"So, what are you up to now?"

"Oh, I'm just going to meet Lei Fang outside to hang out," Hitomi replies. "We're going to a coffee shop." She brightens at an idea. "Hey! Why don't you come with us~?"

Hayate shakes his head. "I'm sorry, but not today. Maybe next time."

Hitomi pouts, but nods. "Boooo~! Alright." She waves Hayate good-bye with the ninja waving at her, too.

Hitomi blushes and takes her leave. She hurries outside towards the entrance where she's supposed to meet Lei Fang. She looks around for her best friend for a bit when she turns around and sees the Chinese girl, dressed in her cheongsam with high heels and her hair is down. The German looks up and down at her appearance and giggles.

"Lei Fang," she says. "This isn't a date, you know~?"

 _Though, I want it to be,_ the Chinese girl thinks.

"Come on~!" Hitomi happily takes her hand. "Off to the coffee shop!"

Lei Fang follows her best friend in the busy streets. Her heart beats rapidly from her touch and looks at her brown hair swaying at each movement. _Hitomi…_ she thinks. _My dearest friend…if only you knew how I feel…_ Time and time again, she thought of confessing to her best friend, but her fear of being rejected still floats around in her head, plus the fact that she knows Hitomi loves Hayate. So, she kept her feelings to herself.

Upon arriving at the coffee shop, the girls order their drinks and sit down at a tall round table with two seats. While sitting down, Lei Fang speaks up.

"Congrats on winning the match," she says. "You've worked pretty hard."

Hitomi sips on her lemonade. "Ahhh~! Yep! Though, I've got more matches to go before going into the championships."

"I see." Lei Fang just stirs her straw in her drink.

"I'm glad everyone supports me," Hitomi continues. "Including you and Hayate. Hayate is…so charming, though~!"

Lei Fang can see a blush on her best friend's face. _There she goes again…_ she thinks.

"Um, Hitomi," the Chinese girl says.

"Yes?" The karate girl looks up at her with a smile on her face, making Lei Fang blush.

 _Gosh, her smile is so pretty…_ she thinks. Butterflies fly in her stomach as her palms sweat and her heart beats faster than ever. How can she tell her that she loves her more than her best friend? She finds it more difficult than she thought.

"Is something the matter, Lei Fang?"

"I…um…" She can't find the right words to say it.

"You know, I've been noticing that you've been acting kinda weird for the past week," Hitomi says. "And I've never seen you so…lost and confused…"

Lei Fang clenches her fists and bites her lip. How can she explain to her that she loves her as her own girlfriend? When Hitomi already has feelings for Hayate? She stirs her drink at a faster pace while looking away. The German girl frowns as she leans closer a bit.

"Are you really alright?" she asks. "Are you not feeling well?"

"N-no…" That answer is partially honest.

Hitomi sits back on her chair as she finishes her drink and walks over to the trash can to throw it away. When she comes back to sit down, she can see the same look on her best friend's face.

"Something's wrong," she says. "And I'm not giving up until you tell me what's going on."

That serious look on Hitomi's face. Lei Fang can tell that she needed answers. It's been a week since Lei Fang has been like this and she knows that there's no turning back.

"C-can you come with me for a second?" the Chinese girl says.

Hitomi nods and Lei Fang takes her hand. Both of them head outside of the shop and turn a corner where nobody is present. The Chinese girl is shaking in fear of what's going to happen next, making Hitomi even more worried.

"Lei Fang," she says. "Please tell me what's going on! You're scaring me!"

The Chinese girl bites her lip to keep herself from crying, but tears are already stinging her eyes nevertheless.

"H-Hitomi…" she whimpers. "I-I don't know if you'll understand when I tell you, but-"

"What!? Of course I'll understand!" Hitomi insists. "I'm your best friend!"

"No!" Lei Fang shouts with tears finally falling. "I-I…I don't know how to tell you this, but…you know about me and Jann Lee?"

"Yes? Aren't you and him going out?"

"No, we are not," Lei Fang answers truthfully. She sniffles as she wipes her endless tears. "Th-the thing is: my heart belonged to someone else. He confessed his feelings to me, even though he rarely shows how he truly feels and I…" She lets out a sob. "I rejected him!"

Hitomi gasps in shock. "You what!?"

"I told him I had feelings for someone else," Lei Fang explains. "And he understood. He had no regrets for confessing to me."

"He understood?"

Lei Fang sniffles again as she looks directly in Hitomi's eyes. "Hitomi…I have something to tell you…" She swallows hard and takes her best friend's hands. "Those feelings I have for someone else. Well…that someone else…is you."

Hitomi gasps again while cupping her hand to her mouth. "Wh-what did you just say!?"

Lei Fang swallows hard again. "I…I love you, Hitomi. Not as a friend, but as my own lover…"

The German girl's eyes widen. "Y-you…love…me?"

Lei Fang just nods, turning away while tears still stream down her face. She finally confessed her feelings, but from her reaction, Hitomi might reject her next. Because she still has feelings for Hayate.

"Lei Fang…oh, my God…h-how long has this been going on?"

"From the first time I met you," the Chinese girl replies. "We were rivals at first, but we still became good friends later on. And my feelings for you never changed."

"Lei Fang…"

"I-I know it was really selfish of me, but I…I just wanted to show you how I felt about you."

Hitomi stands frozen for what it seems like minutes. She is also blushing from Lei Fang's confession, but doesn't know what to say next. Lei Fang clenches her fists as a thought comes to mind. She didn't want to do this, but she wants to prove that she truly loves her. So, she cups her hands on Hitomi's cheeks and plants her lips against hers. The brunette's eyes widen in shock, unable to move.

* * *

 **A/N: Whew! Out of all the stories I've written, I'm running out of confession scenarios! So, I apologize if this is not the best scenario, but I tried my hardest on this one! This isn't over, everyone! There's more to come!**

 **Feel free to give out any suggestions, questions or concerns and don't forget to review~!**


	2. Sorting Things Out

**Chapter 2**

 **Sorting Things Out**

 **A/N: First off...I am SOOOOOO sorry for the super late update! I really looked at your reviews and am ACTUALLY going to take your suggestions. So, um, yeah. It seems like you all wanted more, so here it is. Enjoy~!**

Hitomi does not move a muscle. Her best friend...Lei Fang...is in love with her and is now kissing her. Part of her wanted to return her feelings, but to her, it was so unexpected that she didn't know how to respond to it. She starts to return the kiss, but then, a image of Hayate flashes in her mind, making her gasp and gently push Lei Fang away.

"Hitomi?" Lei Fang is dumbfounded from her best friend's reaction.

"I...I'm sorry," Hitomi says, softly. "I...I just don't know how to feel about this. I mean, I...I do love you. I feel the same way towards you, but...I also have the same feelings for Hayate."

Lei Fang slowly nods as she looks down at the ground. _I see,_ she thinks. _She still loves that guy._ She then looks up at her best friend with a sad expression. "Hitomi, I understand how you feel about him. And I'm very sorry I acted that way without even considering your feelings. I hope that you'll forgive me."

The German girl smiles, shaking her head and walks up to her while cupping both hands on her best friend's cheeks, making the Chinese girl blush. "I forgive you, Lei Fang. I'm glad you feel that way about me. A thing like this can never ruin our friendship. I just...need some time to think and sort things out."

Lei Fang nods and smiles. "Then...can we still be friends...despite the kiss?"

Hitomi nods as well. "Sure. We can still be friends."

Both of them embrace each other. However, Lei Fang's smile fades at the thought of Hitomi still liking Hayate. One question that pops in her mind is: "Will she actually go out with him?" If so, Lei Fang had done her best and will continue to support her as a friend.

 ****Later****

Hitomi lies on her bed late that night, staring at the ceiling. So much has happened tonight that the German has a hard time processing it all. However, she slowly lifts her hand to touch her lips right when her mind flashes back to when Lei Fang had kissed her. 'Come to think of it,' Hitomi thinks. 'Those lips...were so soft. So moist. I didn't even realize they would feel this...good.' Then, her mind flashes to an image of Hayate and she slowly lowers her hand.

"Hayate..." she whispers.

Even though Lei Fang had told her true feelings, the German still can't let go of her own feelings for Hayate, the man she had cared for when he had no memory of who he was. She held on to those feelings, even after he got his memory back, and now her best friend had told her that she loved her. She sits up as an idea pops in her head.

"Alright," she says with confidence. "Tomorrow, I'll confess to Hayate. One way or another."

 ****Next Day****

"Huh?" Lei Fang says one day when Hitomi called her. "You want me to help you on confessing to Hayate?"

"Yes, please!" the German girl says, clasping her hands together to her face. "I've decided I'm not going to hold back. I WILL confess my love to Hayate, no matter what it takes!"

 _So…she DOES love him after all…_ Lei Fang thinks. _Still…I'm very glad I got my feelings out before she confessed to him._ She tries to smile at her best friend while taking her hands in hers. "Alright. I'll try my best."

"Ah, thank you so much, Lei Fang~!" With that, Hitomi embraces the Chinese girl tightly.

Lei Fang secretly frowns at this. If they pull it off, she'll still support them no matter what. It's Hitomi's choice after all. She'll gladly support the two of them.

 ****Later****

This is it. Late afternoon and Hitomi is waiting on top of a roof. Hayate should be there any minute since she contacted him. As for Lei Fang, she stays hidden behind a corner, unseen so that she can watch those two hook up. If this succeeds, then Lei Fang can let her go and continue to be friends with the German.

She peeks out and Hayate still hasn't shown up…yet. The male ninja can't have lost track of time, would he? Still, it's far unlikely that Hayate would not show up in time. And speak of the devil, there he is. Hayate jumps down from the sky, startling Hitomi a little, but giggles a the same time.

"I'm so glad you're here~!" she says.

Hayate nods and smiles. "So…what do you want to tell me, Hitomi?"

This is it. The moment of truth. Hitomi swallows hard and steps forward with a serious expression on her face.

"Hayate…" she says, looking directly into his eyes. "I…I love you. I've been in love with you for a very long time…ever since I took you in when you lost your memories…ever since I took care of you all this time…even when you regained them, my heart never stopped reaching out to you. You're the one I admired the most, Hayate. Please…go out with me."

The male ninja is surprised by this sudden confession, yet feels a little happy inside. This girl who helped him for a long time until he regained his memories… she's been nothing but kind to him this whole entire time. Hitomi's a wonderful girl to be around. He's very grateful for that. He takes her hands in his with a gentle smile.

"Hitomi," he says. "Thank you…for this opportunity. I must admit: you're a sweet girl that's been there for me all this time. I, too, admire you for it. Please…will you kiss me just to seal the deal?"

"Ah…yes….yes!" Hitomi cannot believe her ears. Her crush, now lover, is asking her to kiss him? This has to be the luckiest day of her life! "I'll gladly kiss you!"

Lei Fang hears this and takes a peek again. There, she sees the two of them leaning in and pressing each other's lips together. She bites her lip, avoids eye contact a little and lets out a soft, inaudible sigh. They did it. They hooked up. It's time to move on from this. Her best friend's mission is complete. She pushes herself away from the wall and flees the scene.

Meanwhile, Hitomi and Hayate share a passionate, heartwarming kiss. Hitomi's hands are gently on his shoulders while making out with him. It's so peaceful…so wonderful to finally kiss the one she admires all this time. However, Hitomi doesn't notice that small tears are starting to fall from her eyes, then more and more of them start to come down like a waterfall. Hayate takes notice as soon as the two pull away.

"Hitomi," he says. "Are you crying?"

"Eh….eh?" Hitomi slowly raises her hand to feel wetness on her cheek. "Wh…why am I…?" She has no idea how come she's in tears right now. "I…I'm just so happy I…I…" She tries to laugh, but it comes out as sobs. Tears wouldn't stop falling from her eyes even though she tries to wipe them. Then, she buries her head in her hands as she fully starts crying.

"Hitomi…" Hayate has no idea what's going on either, but all he can do is embrace her, try to comfort her as best he could.

 ****Lei Fang's Home****

The Chinese girl lets out a soft sigh once again probably for the 5th time today. At least her best friend gets to be with the one she truly loves. And that's fine. It's not so bad…at least that's what she thinks. She can feel tears start to stream down her face, onto the sheets she's sitting on right now. Why? Why is she crying? She let her go and be with the one she loves, right? That's what best friends do, right? She helped her have the courage to confess to Hayate and yet…

"Hitomi…." she chokes a sob as she buries her head in her hands.

This is bad. Even though she let her go, her heart won't let go of Hitomi. It's still beats for her, it longs for connection to Hitomi's heart. It's all so clear now. Lei Fang is still in love with the German. What was she thinking?

"I'm sorry…I shouldn't have let you go…" she sobs. She wipes some tears away, even though some are still falling.

What can she do now? Hitomi is now with her beloved, but…she's still in love with Hitomi. Suddenly, her phone goes off and Lei Fang quickly checks it. It's a text from her best friend.

 **"Lei Fang…would you meet me somewhere down the park tonight? It's really important."**

 **Hitomi**

Lei Fang's eyes widen. She quickly answers "Yes" and then leaves the house immediately. It's like Hitomi read her mind. She wanted to talk to her best friend about this and yet, the German beat her to it. She runs outside and hurries toward the nearby park where she and Hitomi play in most of the time. There, stands Hitomi in the middle of the park, back turned and hugging herself. But…where is Hayate? Shouldn't she be with him? Is that what she called her for?

"Hitomi!" Lei Fang calls to get her attention.

The German turns around and smiles a weak smile. "H-hey, Lei Fang."

"What happened? Why isn't Hayate with you? I thought you two hit it off."

"I thought we did, but…but…" Hitomi turns her head away, holding her forearm as she recalls back when she was crying in Hayate's arms.

 ****Flashback****

 _"Hayate…" Hitomi said as she pulled away to wipe some tears away._

 _"Yes, Hitomi?" His voice was so gentle and soothing to Hitomi's ears._

 _"I…I'm sorry…I changed my mind," the German said softly. She hung her head down. "My heart is telling me…something else."_

 _"What do you mean?"_

 _"I realized something. When we kissed and I started crying…I realized…you aren't the one for me. Strange isn't it? Because Lei Fang confessed to me first and kissed me. From that point, when we kissed, all I could think about is my best friend. How hurt she might have been if we hooked up. She was so desperate to have me return her feelings, but I rejected her."_

 _"So…you love Lei Fang more?" Hayate questioned, not showing any signs of jealousy nor anger, which is surprising to Hitomi._

 _"Y-yes. Please forgive me, Hayate. I know I said I loved you and kissed you, but…I take it all back."_

 _Hayate smiled a gentle smile, hugging the German girl tenderly. "It's okay. Go where your heart tells you to go. I will cherish this memory with you for as long as I live though. I appreciate your honesty."_

 _Hitomi gasps happily. "Ah…thank you, Hayate!"_

 ****End of Flashback****

"You…rejected him…for my sake?" Lei Fang cannot believe what she's hearing right now.

"Yes," Hitomi says. "I told him and he was fine with me being a lesbian. So, ummm…Lei Fang…"

The Chinese girl cups both hands to her mouth, tears threatening to fall. "Y-you mean, you…"

"Yes…I love you, Lei Fang. Please…will you go out with me?"

Lei Fang nods and jumps into Hitomi's arms happily. "Yes…yes~! I so will! Thank you!"

Hitomi returns the embrace, the girls crying happy tears. This is truly what their hearts wanted: each other. There is no denying it. They need each other and that's all that counts. Pulling away, they gaze into each other's teary eyes and then, they lean in and press their lips together, giving each other a passionate, heartwarming kiss to seal the deal. For Hitomi, Lei Fang's lips feel so much nicer, so moist and soft compared to Hayate's. So soothing. Lei Fang couldn't agree more. She kisses and kisses Hitomi like there's no tomorrow. She misses those lips so much that she can't help herself. They pull away to catch their breath for a moment before diving back in. Tongues caress each other as soft moans are heard from both of them. They pull away again, panting in exhaustion from kissing each other at least 6 times.

"I love you…oh, I love you so much!" Lei Fang says.

"So do I~!" Hitomi replies. "I love you, too, LeiLei~"

"LeiLei?"

"Ehehe! That's going to be your nickname from now on~" Hitomi giggles. "It's cute~"

"Fufu! Then, I'll give YOU a cute nickname too. How about…Tomi-chan~?"

"That's a cute nickname, too~!" Hitomi nods. "I like that~"

"Then it's settled~" the Chinese girl says. "LeiLei and Tomi-chan."

The two girls nuzzle each other's noses with soft giggles and press foreheads together. Closing their eyes, their mouths curve to small smiles.

"I love you, LeiLei~" Hitomi whispers.

"And I love you, too, Tomi-chan~" Lei Fang whispers back.

 **A/N: And that's how the nicknames LeiLei and Tomi-chan were made~! Ehehe~! But…honestly, Mike Powell and I came up with them a while ago, so it doesn't count as first time here. XD**

 **Two long years of not updating this, but hey, here it is~! I finally did it. Now, you people who want to complain, want more or do some guest reviews that might be from the same person, just don't. I…I put my heart and soul into this one and it'll take me a while to complete. Besides, I haven't been writing about those two for a long time.**

 **A-anyways, please give out long and detailed reviews.**

 **Have a nice day!**


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